My main cause, analyzed by multiple sources, is like I thought, too much pop in my daily diet. I drink approx. 60oz of Soda during the day (20oz from school alone). I've been trying to keep off of it, but I find myself being drawn to it every time. My parents just keep buying it. I ask them kindly not to, but there's always a 6pack in the fridge or a 12 pack in the garage. Could anyone offer any support/tips as to staying off without the cravings? I get so bored with Water that I just can't help it

__________________
In an age of nothing, at a time when we stand at the brink of our own destruction--Strengthen your belief, in yourself, in the future of humanity, in the things of this world which cannot easily be perceived. Awaken that which lies dormant now within your soul. Re-ignite the flame of your conciousness, and measure the strength of your conviction. Reveal the lie, renounce your hatred. Seek, find, and embrace the truths you are fortunate enough to discover. Cherish them, use them to anchor you in the sea of chaos that is the world we live in. When twilight crawls near, when you are pushed to the very limits of your soul, when it seems that all you have left are the dead remnants of the fabric of your life -- Believe.

Flavored water, which is caffeine, sodium and sugar free, is an excellent alternative to 'water boredom.' Wal-Mart and Sam's Club sell it very cheaply either by the four packs or in bulk.

As for the soda habit, I used to think nothing of downing a two liter bottle a day of regular Pepsi. Nowdays, to cure the 'soda crazies,' I keep either Diet Pepsi, Pepsi One, or brewed iced tea in the fridge instead...and once you get used to the diet sodas and flavored water, you'll never want the regular sodas again!

If you're anything like meI crave the carbonation more than anything. I used to drink up to a 6 pack a day. And since I absolutely CANNOT stand Diet pop, I slowly took my self down to one over a period of a couple of weeks. Every couple of days have 1 less than normal. I can't totally give it up so I allow myself 1 a day. And it has been working pretty well. I hope this helps a little.

Yeah, perhaps I should just limit it. I crave it so much that i'm thinking about it every minute of the day...

__________________
In an age of nothing, at a time when we stand at the brink of our own destruction--Strengthen your belief, in yourself, in the future of humanity, in the things of this world which cannot easily be perceived. Awaken that which lies dormant now within your soul. Re-ignite the flame of your conciousness, and measure the strength of your conviction. Reveal the lie, renounce your hatred. Seek, find, and embrace the truths you are fortunate enough to discover. Cherish them, use them to anchor you in the sea of chaos that is the world we live in. When twilight crawls near, when you are pushed to the very limits of your soul, when it seems that all you have left are the dead remnants of the fabric of your life -- Believe.

Someone emailed this to me. Maybe this will be some motivation for you.
WATER OR COKE?

This is really an eye opener.... Water or Coke?
We all know that water is important but I bet you have never seen it written down like this before.

Water

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a daycould significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the properties of COKE

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

For Your Info

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Wow I can relate... I used to have the Coke habit BAD!!! But once you break it, it is amazing how the craving goes away once you stop "feeding" it. Seltzer is helpful... at first I used that, especially the flavored kind. But now I pretty much stick with water but often add lemon to it. You might try that... gives it a zest.

Good to see that you're wanting to give up the pop. I was a Pepsiholic in my younger days....well, who's kidding who? I was one up to about 4 years ago. I had to do the 'cold turkey' thing with that, just like with cigarettes.

I won't pretend to tell you that it was easy, it wasn't. For three weeks I had terrible headaches from the caffeine withdrawal. But I have to say that when that was over, I was done.

I use the flavored water from Walmart, Sam's, Costco or K-Mart. But beware, all water is not created equal. If you go to the supermarket, be sure to read your labels. If it isn't calorie and caffeine free, you don't want it.

Now, occasionally I have a diet Coke (a touch of lemon juice will take the 'diet taste' away), but for the most part I'm on the flavored water kick (can't stand the regular stuff). Hope this helps.

Hi Derek,
Good to see you want to try to kick the soda habit. Wayyy too much sugar & caffeine. I'm trying to get my husband to do the same thing with his Pepsi fixes. Personally, I love ice water, but I discovered Crystal Light last year and really like the iced teas, especially the raspberry tea. I always keep a pitcher of it in the frig and take a travel mugful whenever I go out. You might give that a try. Good luck!

Hey everyone, thanks for the tips! I'll try some of this flavored water sometime! Going cold-turkey seemed to work for a while (last november I managed to kick it for a whole month) but I eventually came back drinking more than ever. I feel like someone getting off of an alcohol problem! Anyway, i've been limiting my intake to 20oz. or less per day, and seems to be working well, and pretty soon I plan on widdling it down to none. I hope this Flavored water (i've never had it, i hope its good!) could help me break the habit.

I also tried some Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi today, that stuff's pretty good for being diet.

__________________
In an age of nothing, at a time when we stand at the brink of our own destruction--Strengthen your belief, in yourself, in the future of humanity, in the things of this world which cannot easily be perceived. Awaken that which lies dormant now within your soul. Re-ignite the flame of your conciousness, and measure the strength of your conviction. Reveal the lie, renounce your hatred. Seek, find, and embrace the truths you are fortunate enough to discover. Cherish them, use them to anchor you in the sea of chaos that is the world we live in. When twilight crawls near, when you are pushed to the very limits of your soul, when it seems that all you have left are the dead remnants of the fabric of your life -- Believe.